Sensex Soars Over 300 Points; Nifty Hovers At 15,000; Banking Shares Top Gainers

Asian markets traded higher on Friday morning following an overnight bounce on Wall Street; Hang Seng index edged 0.31 per cent higher and Japan's Nikkei rose 0.95 per cent

The domestic stock markets had a gap-up opening on the back of encouraging global cues. Wall Street had a firm closing overnight and Asian markets are off to a cheerful start. At 9:20 am, the BSE Sensex was trading at 49,913.21, higher by 342.21 points or 0.71 per cent and the NSE Nifty was at 14,998.70, up 93.50 points or 0.63 per cent. The broader markets were outperforming the benchmark indices, with the BSE Midcap index and BSE Smallcap index gaining 0.7 per cent each. Asian markets traded higher on Friday morning following an overnight bounce on Wall Street. The Hang Seng index edged 0.31 per cent higher, Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.95 per cent and Topix index gained 0.62 per cent . Stock indices rose around the world on Thursday, with the S&P 500 climbing more than 1 per cent, led by sharp gains in technology shares. The Dow Jones rose 0.55 per cent, the S&P 500 gained 1.06 per cent and Nasdaq Composite added 1.77 per cent. On the earnings front, State Bank of India, Hindalco Industries, JSW Steel, Shree Cement and Godrej Industries will declare their numbers during the day.